Amalgamator.



W. P. BEDELL. AMALGAMATOR; APPLICATION FILED'IEB. 2l, 1908.

Symp@ ATTORNEYS' m: Nonni: paens co., wAss-mamlv, o. c.

UNITED STATES FAIEN FFIQ.

WILLIAM FELIX BEDELL, OF NORTH YAKIMA, WASHINGTON.

AMALGAMATOR.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM FnLrx BE- DELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of North Yakima, in the county of Yakima and State of vi/'ashingtom have invented a new and Improved Amalgamator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to amalgamators such as are shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States No. 715,538, granted to me on December 9, 1902.

rlhe object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved amalgamator, designed for treating placer material, dredge material and mill and slime materials, and arranged to insure the complete separation of the heavy valuable particles, such as platinum, coated gold and the richer parts of amalgam, from the tailings.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of the improvement; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same, on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section of the settling device for the heavy particles, the section being on the line 3 8 of Fig. 1.

The pan A for containing the mercury is provided on its top with a spider B, supporting on its hub B a ball bearing O engaged by the flange D secured to the upper end of the hub D2 of a bevel gear wheel D, the said hub D2 being provided with a key E engaging a key-way F formed in a hollow shaft F, supporting at its upper end a hopper G into which passes the material to be treated from a chute H. The lower end of the hollow shaft F terminates in diverging hollow arms F2, provided with extensions I, the lower ends of which reach close to the bottom of the pan A, and hence are immersed in the mercury contained in the pan A.

The bevel gear wheel D above mentioned is in mesh with a pinion J, secured on a shaft K, journaled in the spider B and connected with other machinery for imparting a rotary motion to the shaft K, which by the pinion J rotates the gear wheel D, and the latter by Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed. February 21, 1908.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

Serial No. 417,099.

the key E rotates the hollow shaft F. The latter can be raised and lowered by the use of a hand wheel nut L, resting on top of the flange D, and screwing on the upper end of the hollow shaft F. Thus by the arrangement described, the discharge ends of the extensions I of the arms F2 can be immersed more or less in the mercury in trie pan A.

The bottom of the pan A is provided at or near its middle with a raised portion A', in which screws an outlet N for the passage of the water and tailings, the said outlet N forming' an overflow, and as the outlet can be screwed up or down, it is evident that the level of the material contained in the pan A can be correspondingly raised or lowered. The outlet N supports a spider N in which is journaled the guide pin O, extending centrally from the junction of the arms F2 with the shaft F.

The bottom of the pan A is provided with a row of apertures A2, adapted to register with ports P formed in a slide valve P, mounted to slide in suitable bearings Q bolted or otherwise secured to the under side of the bottom of the pan A. In the bearings Q is removably secured by set screws Q a settling chamber R, preferably in the form of a cylinder, having screw plugs at the ends, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1. rlhe settling chamber R is provided at its top with openings R registering with corresponding openings Q2 in the bearings Q, and the said openings Q2 are adapted to register with the ports P in the valve P, whenever the latter is in an open position, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. The valve P is provided at its outer end with a handle P2 under the control of the operator, for moving the valve in a closed position, that is, moving its ports P out of register with the openings A2 and Q2. vWhen the valve is in this position, the said screws Q are loosened, to permit of removing the settling chamber R for emptying the same of its contents.

The operation is as follows: When the machine is running and the material is fed into the hopper G, it passes down into the shaft F and through the arms F2 and its extensions I and is discharged into the mercury contained in the pan A, so that the material comes in contact with the mercury, and the valuable particles, such as platinum, gold, Hour gold and the like, are readily taken up by the mercury, while the amalgam overflows with the water at the outlet end and is thus discharged from the machine. l

The heavier particles in the bottom of the pan A readily pass through the registering openings A2, ports P', openings Q2 and R into the settling chamber R, to lill the same. The operator from time to time closes the valve P, to allow the removal of the settling chamber R from the machine, to empty the chamber of its contents and then to replace it on the machine, after which the valve P is again opened.

By having the reaction arms F2 and their extensions I arranged in the manner de scribed, the mercury and the charge are continually stirred up, to insure a proper separation of the valuable particles from the tailings, which, owing to their lightness, float on top of the mercury and overflow into the outlet end.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An amalgamator comprising a pan, having a central opening 4provided with an internal flange, an outlet pipe threaded into the opening, a hopper above the pan, a hollow shaft leading from the hopper, and terminating in diverging hollow arms, means for adjusting the hopper comprising a hand wheel threaded on to the upper end of the hollow shaft, a spider supported above the pan, and against which the hand wheel rests, the bottom of the pan being provided with a series of apertures, a slide valve movable beneath the apertures, and provided with openings adapted to register therewith, a settling chamber below the apertures, and

with which said apertures communicate when the valve is open, and means for rotating the hollow shaft.

2. An amalgamator comprising a pan, having a central opening, an outlet pipe threaded into the opening, a hopper above the pan, a hollow shaft leading from the hopper and terminating in diverging hollow arms, means for adjusting the hopper and the shaft, the bottom of the pan being provided with a series of spaced apertures, a settling chamber removably secured below the apertures, and having openings adapted to register therewith, a slide valve forn clos-- ing said apertures, and means for rotating the hollow shaft.

3. An amalgamator comprising a pan, having a flanged central opening, .a hopper above the pan, a hollow shaft leading from the hopper and terminating in diverging hollow arms, means for adjusting the hollow shaft towards andvfrom the pan, the bottom of the pan being provided with an opening, a valve normally closing the opening, and a cylindrical settling chamber arranged beneath the opening, the pan being provided with bearings in which the chamber is inserted, and set screws traversing the bearings, and engaging the chamber to retain it in place.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM FELIX BEDELL. l/Vitnesses:

CHARLES R. EDWARDS, GEORGE F. MCAULAY. 

